


Learning As They Grow

by camichats



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Voldemort, Engagement, Established starbucks, Getting Together, M/M, Peter is done, Pining, Remus Is A Mess, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-24
Updated: 2017-04-24
Packaged: 2018-10-23 11:43:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10718691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/camichats/pseuds/camichats
Summary: Remus used to think he couldn't have any soulmarks, now he spends most of his time pretending he doesn't have them-- well, one of them.





	Learning As They Grow

**Author's Note:**

  * For [azriona](https://archiveofourown.org/users/azriona/gifts).



> This is my Fandom Trumps Hate fic for azriona!

 

Remus remembers when he was young, he used to think he wouldn’t have any soulmarks. The other kids he would meet at school had some definition on at least  _ one _ . He didn’t have any. He’d looked all over his body searching for the slightest line or discolouration and found nothing. 

His parents were… strangely accepting of that fact, especially when compared to the pitying looks other parents gave him when they found out. Remus’s mam and da probably thought it was part of the curse of being a werewolf like he had before he’d learned better. Some people have little soulmarks for their parents-- small twin seeds by their navel (and that one kid who had three but wouldn’t say why)-- but Remus doesn’t. He didn’t realise why until his first year of Hogwarts, when he saw James with his parents. Remus’s parents ‘love’ him for obligation, and nothing else. 

He got used to it. 

Remus, along with Sirius, had to learn what soulmates really were from James since neither of their parents bothered to teach them. He turned it over in his mind when he went to bed that night. 

_ When you’re ready to spend your life with someone, their mark will be finished. You could already know them before their mark’s finished, or you may not meet them ‘til later. It just depends. _

The words echoed in his head, and he felt like he didn’t understand them, not really. Certainly not in the way James did, but then, James already had three marks halfway formed, and the hint of two more starting to show. James was filled with so much love and Remus… he felt like he was scrabbling to just stay afloat. 

The next day when he was taking a shower, he saw a single, curved black line above his knee-- the beginnings of his first ever soulmark-- and cried in relief. 

* * *

On the first day at Hogwarts, if someone had told Remus that one day he’d be soulmates with his dorm mates and pining over one of their brothers, he’d have thought they were off in the head, for more than the obvious. The only one of them who had a brother was Sirius, and as the years started to come, Regulus withdrew from Sirius so Remus only saw him in passing in the corridors. 

But then… well.  _ Then _ Sirius ran away from home into the open arms of the Potter’s.  _ Then  _ a year later Regulus did the same.  _ Then _ Remus’s crush rapidly turned into a full on fancy now that he was getting to know the object of his affections.  _ Then _ Regulus started looking at him like he could feel the same way. And  _ then _ Remus didn’t want to be creepy so he kept his distance and tried to not be alone in a room with him to stop it from being awkward (read: he panicked and started avoiding Regulus without an explanation even though everything was going great between them). 

Now Remus was sitting in Potter Mansion, six soulmarks on his body, and a head filled with confusion. Five of his soulmarks he knew who they belonged to: Peter, James, Sirius, and Euphemia and Fleamont because James’s parents were far too sweet and all-but adopted him. Okay he knew who the sixth one belonged to. He just didn’t want to think about what it meant that that sixth soulmark was a half-shaded lion and the only person left that he was close to was Regulus (and it was too obvious that it represented him so Remus refused to think about it). 

Everything was going fine (read: not at all fine), when James and Sirius announced they were getting married. It surprised precisely no one, but it meant Remus’s plan of ignoring Regulus until the situation somehow fixed itself had no chance of working now. 

“How much do you want to bet this’ll be the biggest affair either of us are ever involved in?” Regulus asked as they walked to the cake shop in Diagon. 

Remus tried not to show he was startled by his arrival. “Pretend you aren’t a dramatic little shit all you want Reg, I know better.” 

“Yeah, you do,” Regulus said, a soft smile on his face. Remus felt his face heat but resolutely kept himself from staring (looking out the corner of his eye didn’t count). “But that doesn’t mean the combined forces of Sirius and James won’t outdo me or my future endeavours with this wedding.” 

“They’re getting married now though, that gives you the edge. They won’t be able to get married again after you have your wedding, so you can make it as extravagant as you want and there’s nothing they can do about it.” 

Regulus shrugged, a delicate gesture that barely raised his shoulder. “I’m not sure my partner would want that.” 

Remus swallowed, trying not to make it noticeable. When he got married, he didn’t want anyone but family there. Did Regulus know that? Was he trying to tell Remus he was okay with a small ceremony? He shook his head to throw the thoughts away; this wouldn’t lead to anything good. (He ignored the piece of his mind that said it would in fact lead to  _ everything _ good.) “That’s considerate of you,” he said neutrally. 

“Truthfully I wouldn’t want hundreds of people there anyway. I might be as dramatic as Sirius, but I’m not as public.” 

Remus nodded absently. “Is there a reason we’re going cake-tasting with them? Isn’t this supposed to be a couple-only thing?” 

“If you think they want to do any of this without an audience, you don’t know them half as well as I thought you did.” 

“That doesn’t mean I want to get dragged along for the ride,” Remus grumbled. 

“Isn’t that what your friendship is based off of? They pulled a prank the first day, then pulled you out of the line of fire and you’ve been mates ever since?” 

Remus glared at nothing as they continued walking down the cobbled road. “I don’t have to like it.” 

Regulus huffed a small laugh, knowing full well that Remus wouldn’t trade his friendship with any of them for the world, no matter how much he complained. Remus unconsciously held the door open for Regulus, not noticing the pointed look Peter gave the action. 

Regulus sat next to Sirius, Remus on his other side as the group started eating the samples. James and Peter were easily the most helpful of the group, with Remus just saying ‘it tastes good’ to every piece he tried, and Sirius and Regulus gossiping about their family more than trying the cake. 

It was in the midst of such gossip that Sirius said, “Andi will probably be the only one of our beloved family to show up to both weddings.” 

“Both?” Regulus asked, brow scrunched in confusion as he tried to think of who else was getting married that their family would be invited to. 

“Mine and James’s, and yours and Remus’s,” Sirius said, as easily as he would have said that Andromeda’s husband was Ted. “Gods know the rest of our delightful family won’t show for a wedding with a half-blood. Bella  _ has _ been getting better though, so it’s possible she’ll show, and I suppose Cissy might as well, but not if she keeps pursuing that ridiculous courtship with Malfoy.” Sirius made a face at the thought, then paused when he noticed that Regulus was frozen. “Reg? You okay?” 

Remus shifted his focus from James and Peter to Sirius and Regulus when he heard that, trying not to make it obvious that that’s what he was doing. 

“Remus and I are not together,” he said lowly but clearly, “and certainly not getting married.” Remus noted the emotion he heard in Regulus’s voice and resolutely pretended he didn’t know what it meant. 

Sirius frowned but let it go with a shrug and they continued talking about Andromeda and her daughter Nymphadora and the cute quirks of personality she was showing. Remus didn’t trick himself into thinking that Sirius forgot about it entirely though, which was proven the longer Sirius and James’s engagement went on. It was made worse by the fact that Remus’s soulmark for Regulus was getting more defined. The positive, yet slightly torturous, side was that Remus was spending more time with Regulus than ever, the pair often being sent on wedding-related errands together. (Granted, the only torturous part of it was self-inflicted, or so Peter claimed, for not telling Reg how he felt  _ and anyways Pete there’s nothing _ to  _ tell _ .) 

Peter was probably the single largest hindrance to Remus’s self-denial, though James and Sirius would have been right alongside him were they not so focused on their wedding. The simplest way to explain Peter’s tactic was that he was flirting with Reg  _ for _ Remus. 

The first instance was when Peter whistled low and gave Regulus an obvious once-over. “Those trousers look great Reg, but I bet they’d look even better on Remus’s floor.” 

“I’m sure they would,” he agreed, cheeks pink while Remus died in his seat, unsuccessfully willing himself to cease existing. “Maybe he’ll get to see for himself.” 

“Reg,” he stuttered out, “You really don’t have to…” Remus shook his head, not bothering to finish his sentence. First instance, yes, but certainly not an isolated incident no matter how much Remus hoped. Regulus was  _ encouraging _ the indirect advances, giving as good as he got even if he was stained with a blush the entire time. 

~“Hey Reg that’s a nice jumper,” James said, pseudo-innocently. 

“Thanks it’s boyfriend material,” Reg replied, staring straight at Remus, who promptly fumbled the book he was holding and lost his place. 

He cleared his throat and tried to pretend he hadn’t lost his cool. “Must be popular.” 

“I’m just looking for an audience of one werewolf actually.” 

~“Hi Reg, how’re you?” Remus said politely, thinking he was safe with just the two of them around. 

“Okay. I was feeling a little off earlier but now you’re turning me on.” 

Remus hadn’t managed anything close to a reply that time. 

By the day of the wedding, Remus had a fully formed soulmark of an emerald lion encasing the leo constellation on his skin, and a bucket full of nerves because he was at his limit for continuing his self-denial. Apparently all it took was the completed soulmark to convince him he couldn’t ignore it anymore, and that had more to do with the fact that Regulus would have a soulmark too than any sort of emotional maturity on his side. Well that and Peter’s growing bluntness; Remus hypothesized that in a week’s time he would straight out ask Regulus on a date with Remus. 

In a move that James called ‘classic bookwolf’, Remus continued to put it off until Peter ‘accidentally’ locked him in a cupboard with Regulus two hours before the wedding. What a cliche. 

After ascertaining that they weren’t getting out without Peter’s help, Reg turned to Remus. “Are we going to talk about this then?” 

Remus swallowed and couldn’t help the obvious lie spilling from his lips, “Talk about what?” 

Regulus stared at him flatly. 

“Worth a shot,” he mumbled. 

“If you had your way, you’d ignore me until our soulmarks spontaneously disappeared,” Reg said, a touch bitterly. “Forgive me if I’m through with your shit.” 

“Is that any way to talk to your boyfriend.” 

“When he’s being an arsehole, yes. Also you’ve not asked, so technically this is the way I talk to my brother’s best friend.” 

“Regulus, would you go on a date with me?” 

He hummed, as if considering the question, and Remus sighed. 

“You’re not going to make this easy on me are you?” 

Regulus grinned. “After months of you being an oblivious arse when I tried asking you out? Of course not.” 

Remus shook his head but smiled. 

“That being said, I’m the one suffering here and I care more about my happiness than I do your misery.” With that, Regulus threaded his fingers through Remus’s hair and kissed him, soft and warm, and Remus wanted to kick himself for being so goddamn stubborn when he could’ve had this the whole time. 

**Author's Note:**

> I take prompts on tumblr [@siriuslystarbucks](http://siriuslystarbucks.tumblr.com/) or here in the comments ^-^


End file.
